Our group is interested in the role bacteria play
in acute and chronic gastrointestinal (GI) illness.
To this end, we study the role of what would traditionally
be considered “pathogenic bacteria” in
gastrointestinal illness. In addition, we also examine
how the population structure of the indigenous GI
microbiota can influence the host-pathogen interaction
and how changes in the community structure of the
indigenous microbiota itself can lead to pathogenic
states. Specific areas of investigation include:

MURINE MODELS OF INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE

The bacterium Helicobacter hepaticus have been implicated
as a trigger of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in
immune-altered mice. We have been investigating how
H. hepaticus can circumvent normal protective immune
responses and in turn how this leads to the development
of IBD in immune-altered mice.

GASTROINTESTINAL MICROBIAL ECOLOGY

The bacterial community of the gut is part of a
complex ecosystem. A significant proportion of the
members of these bacteria have not been cultured to
date in the laboratory, preventing understanding of
the complete diversity of this ecosystem. The advent
of culture-independent methods to examine the ecology
of this community has provided insight into the role
it plays in various disease processes. We have investigated
the role the gut microbial community plays in the
development of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in humans.
We are also defining the changes in the GI microbiota
related to H. hepaticus-induced IBD and determining
if probiotic organisms exert their beneficial effect
via changes in the gut microbiota.

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